1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for securing cupboards and drawers during an earthquake or other seismic events. This invention also relates to a child-safety device.
2. Description of Related Art
Prior to the present invention, to prevent cupboard covers or drawers from opening during the shaking due to an earthquake or other seismic event, most people install child proof locks or hooks, which connect the inner surface of the cover or drawer to the inner shelf or inner cupboard cavity.
The biggest problem with the child proof locks, hooks or magnetic attachments is their inconvenience. To open a child proof hook-type closure, the user has to reach inbetween the cupboard cover and the inside of the cavity or hold a magnet to the outside face of the cover to release the latch. These existing products can be quite annoying, especially when there are no children present to protect. Some of these devices require a barbed-like hook to be mounted to the cupboard cover, which can present a hazard to the user.
There are two significant drawbacks to the contents of a cupboard emptying on a floor during an earthquake; first, you lose the things that you need everyday like eating utensils and food stuffs, which you will need after an earthquake; second, broken items on the floor present a real hazard, especially if the earthquake happens at night, a subsequent power failure and no emergency lighting.
Earthquakes do not always produce significant motion in all directions but instead can be dominated by motion in a single direction. Current anti-earthquake cupboard devices appear to only be responsive to horizontal movement, and do not consider the other types and angles of movement during an earthquake or seismic event. Nor do these existing devices consider that displacement or shifting of cupboard contents resulting from other motions can also cause the cupboard covers to open.
From the preceding descriptions, it is apparent that the devices currently being used have significant disadvantages. Thus, important aspects of the technology used in the field of invention remain amenable to useful refinement.